The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2

Sss…

The Ice Sword Rain targeted precisely 10 cubes.

The sight made the alien spectators reveal their unease.

-What’s that?

-Isn’t that the same sword that located the remnants of the Little Sun…

-Could it have a searching feature?

-Come on. Even if it has search abilities, how could it possibly find something worthwhile in the arena-managed cubes?

-Yeah, considering only 5 percent are worthwhile, it should be targeting 50 cubes, not just 10.

-Picking 10 without hitting a dud would indeed be a jackpot…

Viewers who didn’t bet on Seong Jihan in the finals, having already lost their money, were just hoping for Seong Jihan to pick a dud.

However,

[Ho… managing to avoid all the duds, impressive indeed.]

The owner of the arena made a remark, as if amazed.

-Aaaaah!!

-What the hell is he??

-He even has search capabilities now… ugh…

-He’s just taking everything for himself, really ㅡ ㅡ;

-By now, just please pick the worst out of the 10…

The spectators were practically praying for him to choose poorly.

Yet, there was one thing bothering them.

-But, the sword seems to be targeting more heavily in one area, maybe that’s the good stuff…

-Right. Three are being intensely targeted by dozens of swords. Woah.

-So, he’s choosing the good stuff even among the valid ones…

-Does he get rewarded every time he enters the arena? Insane, right?

It seemed to them that the Ice Sword Rain was indeed selectively targeting the better prizes.

And then,

As they predicted, Seong Jihan reached for the cube that was most intensely indicated by the Ice Sword Rain.

Upon his touch,

Sparkle!

A bright light burst from the cube, unveiling a brilliantly shining gem.

[You’ve unlocked a Legendary-grade reward from the arena’s cube.]

[Special reward, ‘Race Evolution Bonus’ obtained.]

[Humanity has unlocked ‘All Attributes Affinity’ +1.]

-Legenda…ry reward?

-Wait, wait. Increasing all attributes affinity by +1… What kind of insane reward is this??

-Probably because the human race hasn’t unlocked many attribute fields…

-This alone could get them out of the lowest rank, this race.

+1 to all attributes affinity.

Even though it was specified “only for the attributes humanity has unlocked,” the reward was on a level unseen even by alien races accustomed to BattleNet life.

-Oo, +1 to all attributes is impressive.

-But might be a bit disappointing for us regular folks…

-No, no, regular people definitely benefit too. After getting +1 to lightning attribute, a lot more people started receiving gifts related to lightning powers.

-+1 to all attributes means an increased chance of receiving gifts in all areas. Wow.

-Really? That’s an insane reward, haha.

-Seeing the aliens grumbling, we definitely come out on top here, haha.

Then,

Swoosh…!

As the affinity for all attributes increased, the sword that Seong Jihan had drawn became sharper, and dozens more Ice Sword Rain emerged from the void.

The inclusion of water attribute, since all attributes affinity increased, immediately boosted the effectiveness of his current martial skill.

‘Did it increase by around 10 percent? This effect is tremendous.’

Could this mean all his other skills had also become stronger?

A universal +1.

The effect is certainly tangible.

As Seong Jihan mulled over this,

[It seems humanity being a lowest-rank race prompted this reward. Consider it a last gift before evolving to a lower rank.]

“Is that so?”

[Yes. With an all attributes increase of +1, staying in the lowest tier just isn’t feasible.]

The owner of the arena suggested the race would soon evolve.

-Is humanity escaping the lowest rank?

-+1 to all attributes is that significant?

-I still kinda feel like humanity is at the bottom among space monsters… haha.

-Lower rank would be what, Uruk level?

-We’ve been dealing with those pig-heads before, nothing new.

-But, physically speaking, weren’t we always a bit behind them? Haha.

Human spectators showed disbelief at the prospect of ranking up.

Seong Jihan felt the same.

‘So, no more being called the lowest rank. Kind of a pity, it had its perks.’

Being recognized as the lowest-rank race meant being overlooked in the BattleNet world, which inadvertently reduced hostility towards humanity.

Climbing to the lower rank would likely increase scrutiny from alien races.

‘Better escape BattleNet quickly, then.’

Seong Jihan thought as he asked the arena’s owner,

“So, does the reward change when the race evolves?”

[Indeed. The rewards from the cubes are tailored to the race. Strange though, it should have changed by now… Haven’t you evolved yet?]

“Not yet. Is there a delay of sorts?”

[A delay? That’s not how BattleNet’s processes work…]

Puzzled at humanity not evolving despite the all attributes +1 boost, the owner of the arena showed his confusion.

-Humanity… the lowest of the low? How can +1 to all attributes not trigger evolution?

-Maybe it’s because they’ve unlocked so few attributes?

-Even so… seeing Seong Jihan’s sword getting stronger on the spot. It’s like the overall strength has surged by at least 10 percent.

-Mmm… if they are at the absolute bottom of the lowest rank, maybe they can’t climb up to the lower tier.

-How the hell did such a race produce someone like him?

Alien viewers couldn’t grasp the situation, deducing humanity’s inability to evolve stemmed from their profound depth in the lowest tier.

[Then, choose the remaining reward before your race evolves.]

“All right.”

Stuck as a lowest-tier race, the rewards remain unchanged.

Seong Jihan, observing the reduced targeting of nine cubes by the Ice Sword Rain,

“That seems like the right choice.”

He then proceeded to open the cube that was most heavily targeted by the swords.

Revealing the reward,

[You’ve unlocked a Legendary-grade reward from the arena’s cube.]

[You’ve obtained an EX-grade item, ‘Constellation Construction Kit’.]

-Constellation kek… Construction kit kek…

-This just keeps getting better

-Phew! I was scared he’d get something better again, haha.

Alien species roared louder than ever since the finale began upon seeing this.

* * *

Constellation Construction Kit.

Upon seeing the name, Seong Jihan’s brow furrowed.

‘Constellation… Now it’s a construction kit tagged as EX?’

He recalled the disappointment when he expected an EX-grade reward from Brahma before.

Getting a skill called summon throne, which allowed a god’s throne to be summoned for three hours once a month, had been underwhelming.

The throne increased the level cap and void absorption limit for whoever sat in it.

Although Seong Jihan regularly made his family benefit from this effect,

‘Honestly, it wasn’t EX-grade. This.’

For an exceptional EX-grade, it had been a letdown.

Now, a construction kit as EX-rank?

[The Constellation Construction Kit item has emerged. Indeed, this item is undervalued for its potential. Legendary placement would be appropriate.]

“Ha. Sure…”

While it was nice the Ice Sword Rain found a Legendary-grade reward, the content was disappointing.

Seong Jihan saw aliens happily spamming the chat.

-Ah, feeling good at the end haha. The worst EX item popped up.

-Still, if you put it in the auction house, gods will buy it for quite a sum.

-How much does it go for?

-Recent transaction price is 3 trillion?

-3 trillion… that’s still expensive.

-No, no. Since he chose the option instead of 5 trillion, he ended up with a 2 trillion loss!

‘Guess I’ll be satisfied with 3 trillion.’

Though it’s EX, it’s indeed worth 3 trillion GP.

Rather than thinking of it as a 2 trillion loss, Seong Jihan resolved to view the situation positively, having earned 3 trillion, and looked at the Constellation Construction Kit in his hand.

What had been a clump of light had now transformed into a hand-sized white hammer that fits perfectly in his grip.

“It looks like a hammer…”

[As an EX-grade item, it transforms to fit its race.]

“Right… But why would gods buy this? They should already have thrones.”

Pondering aloud based on the chat content,

[The Constellation Construction Kit isn’t just for building thrones, but also for upgrading them.]

“Upgrade…”

[Yes. To maintain their position, gods need to continually repair and improve their thrones.]

Constellation throne upgrades, huh.

Seong Jihan showed interest in the concept.

“So, this hammer works on any throne?”

[It should.]

Then, could this kit be used even on the throne summoned by the summon throne skill?

‘Might as well experiment.’

Having made a fortune from the arena this time, GP wasn’t an issue.

Seong Jihan decided to test this potentially dud EX-skill, the Constellation Construction Kit.

[With that, the award ceremony is concluded.]

After the ceremony ended,

[You’ve won the Space Arena.]

[Your level increases by 20.]

[You’ve cleared the special achievement, ‘Space Arena Victory – Master’.]

[You’ve obtained 5000 Fame points.]

‘A level 20 rise… now the Grand Master promotion is just within reach.’

Seong Jihan checked the final reward and logged out from the arena.

* * *

On the Star of the Martial God, Tuseong, a significant seismic event was unfolding.

Rrrr…

The ground heaved, and inside it, flames began to explode.

This affected the Martial God’s relics in the sky of Tuseong, burning them all down.

And witnessing this from a cracked tower was,

“Dongbang sak, were there volcanoes here too?”

“…No, this is the first time I’ve seen such a phenomenon.”

Gilgamesh and Dongbang sak, who was monitoring him, were present.

“It’s odd that the eruption occurred right where the Martial God’s third disciple was sealed.”

“…”

“And additionally, our master, who should be resting, is struggling to suppress the volcanic eruption.”

Crack!

A gigantic hand formed in the sky of Tuseong.

It was blocking the fire spewing from the rifts directly.

[Such a nuisance. It’s not your time to awaken yet, third disciple.]

A deep voice of the Martial God echoed in the sky, tinged with irritation at the situation.

Eventually, after a long time,

Swoosh…

The fires that were trying to consume the Martial God’s hand were suppressed and did not rise any further.

[A bit more sleep is in order… Gilgamesh, do not act rashly.]

“Sure, sure.”

After warning Gilgamesh, the Martial God left.

“Heh. Interesting. I didn’t expect the Martial God to have such trouble with the third. Dongbang Sak, have you ever seen such a scene?”

“…No, not even once.”

Dongbang sak’s denial made Gilgamesh’s gaze turn cold.

“Indeed. The Martial God should not be weakened by their disciples like this. And yet, it took so long to pacify those flames…”

“…”

“The third Martial disciple, is he truly Ashoka?”

[PR/N: Upset with his violent conquests that killed hundreds of thousands, the Indian king Ashoka embraced Buddhism and treated his subjects humanely. Emperor Ashoka is credited with remaking the Mauyran Dynasty from a war machine into a society of tolerance and nonviolence, based on Buddhism.]

Ashoka, the third disciple, positioned as one of humanity’s many heroes with substantial achievements.

However, it seemed unbelievable he would resist the Martial God to this extent.

“Was it you who mentioned the third disciple was Ashoka?”

“That was the information from the Martial God. But how can I believe that after witnessing this…”

“…And what are you suggesting?”

“Let’s uncover the true identity of the third disciple together.”

“I refuse.”

Shrrr.

“My duty is to follow the master’s command. My assigned mission is to monitor you. Refrain from needless ventures.”

“No sense of fun.”

Predicting such a response, Gilgamesh smirked and then,

“Hmm…”

Suddenly blinked several times.

“What’s the matter?”

“Didn’t you feel it?”

“…?”

“The strength of the human race has grown.”

“Is that so… I wouldn’t know. I’ve already reached the extreme.”

Stroking his beard, Dongbang sak claimed he was at his peak.

To others, it might seem an arrogant statement, but

‘…Monster. How did such a creature emerge among humans?’

Gilgamesh knew his words weren’t just boasts.

And observing humanity, they swiftly assessed the situation.

“Seong Jihan won in the arena and obtained rewards.”

“Seong Jihan…”

Watching a replay of Seong Jihan’s match, Gilgamesh’s eyes sparked with interest.

“When the volcano in Tuseong erupted, Seong Jihan also faced his share of struggles… Hmm. All these occurrences, merely a coincidence?”

“…Do not act recklessly, Gilgamesh. Remember the master’s command.”

Warned by Dongbang sak,

“Of course…”

Gilgamesh lifted the corner of his mouth and nodded.